I am a 48 year old male who was diagnosed with moderate sleep apnea about 8 years ago. My concern is sleep apnea or chronic fatigue is destroying my life. This is no exaggeration! I am somewhat embarrassed to admit this but about every 2 weeks I sleep for about 35-40 hours only getting up to go to the bathroom. During that time I have no interest in food or water, and seem to have many if not most of the symptoms that the Center for Disease Control lists on its website as symptoms of Chronic Fatigue. My confusion arises from the fact that I have had 2 different sleep studies in 6 years and both came back at moderate apnea. As a side note, I have chronic bi-lateral facial pain and wearing a mask has been a challenge because the straps put pressure on the areas in my face that are tender. When I told the last pulmonologist I had a hard time handling the mask and air flow so he seemed to dismiss me as non-compliant and told me he had no other options for me. Recently I had a custom bite block made but neither the cpap machine which I keep trying or the bite block allow me to wake feeling refreshed. If you suffer from chronic fatigue, can you share with me how often you are "down/sick" and for how long? Could you also share with me what helps you as far as exercise, medication, etc? Thank you so much in advance for any feedback.

Have you tried a different type of mask? Maybe a nasal pillow or a full face mask would work better for you. If you're fighting with the mask all night, then the machine isn't able to do the job its designed to do. Call the company that supplied it and ask about a different type of mask.